Why Buy a Crossover?

Five concrete reasons to buy a minivan instead.

Automotive history has had its ups, its downs, its trends. Certain among these trends, such as the muscle car, have been good. Others, like the landau top, have not. Nearly 25 years ago, one of these trends started in the U.S.—that of the minivan. By most accounts, this was a very good thing.

But, alas, the sport-utility became popular, and we wrote over and over again about how it couldn't hold a candle to the minivan in most of the ways we measure vehicular worth. Now along come crossover utility vehicles: just like SUVs, but a bit more carlike, often because they are based—if not wholly, then at least partly—on cars. Better, but compared with minivans—which in our recollection have always been equally carlike, spacious, and practical—they're not only late but somewhat foolish.

For proof we offer five examples of how minivans outsmart the comparable three-row crossovers, even in the same showroom. Read on

If people expect one thing from a Hyundai, it is value. And although all Hyundai products represent strong value, between the Entourage minivan and the new Veracruz crossover, the larger, more capacious Entourage has made room for more goodies, too.

Indeed, although the Veracruz is a steal next to the Lexus RX350 that it closely mimics from a styling standpoint, when pitted against a comparably equipped Entourage—Limited versus Limited, both with leather seats, power liftgates, power driver's seats, alloy wheels, and much, much more—the Entourage is a whopping four grand cheaper. And, of course, it has the usual massive space advantage behind the second-row seats (80 cubic feet versus the Veracruz's mere 40 cubes), comfy three-across rear seating, and excellent outward vision, thanks to slim pillars.

The minivan-to-crossover value advantage isn't limited to the Entourage—it also applies to the Toyota Sienna LE and Honda Odyssey EX-L, both of which come in nearly a grand cheaper than their smaller, less accommodating crossover brethren.

Yeah, yeah, we know. The Nissan Armada isn't a crossover but is instead a humongous body-on-frame full-size SUV. And that's hardly a fair match-up for either party, right? Well, we'd go out on a limb and aver that most people who buy the Armada use it in exactly the same way as they would if they chose a Quest at least 99 percent of the time. Besides, Nissan doesn't make a three-row crossover, and so we decided, just for kicks, to compare the Quest SL with the big fat Armada and see what happened.

Obviously, the burly, V-8-powered Armada can tow more and can outbutch anything in this roundup. And being four inches longer and six inches taller make it more spacious inside—oh, wait a minute! The Quest has more room in the second and third rows than the huge Armada? Sure does: 68 and 52 cubic feet to 63 and 39. Yes, and the Quest actually gobbles up more cargo behind the third row (33 cubes versus 20) than the Armada. But more significant, thanks to its large side doors, wide liftgate, and low cargo floor, the Quest makes it easier to get all that crap inside.

But here's another kicky part of the Quest in particular that helps it sink the Armada: outward vision. Not only does the Quest have massive side windows for all three rows of seats, but it is available with a SkyView package that has no fewer than five sunroofs. Not quite the icon material of the 23-window VW Microbus from the '60s but, for the kids in back, just as cool.

Whereas each of the imports seems bent on covering the entire market, the domestics have chosen sides in this debate. Chrysler obviously has a strong reputation—and a strong following—in the minivan market and has just launched arguably its best-ever model for 2008. GM and Ford had less success in the minivan market, and thus have pulled out, instead putting all their eggs in the SUV/crossover basket for '08. And so we compare the Dodge Grand Caravan SXT to one of the best and biggest domestic crossovers, the GMC Acadia.

This one comes down easily on the side of the Grand Caravan, primarily because of its flexibility. If Pimp My Ride is to be taken as any indicator of cool—and with Xzibit hosting, how is it anything else?—then Chrysler's minivan interiors have the market cornered. Stow 'n Go second- and third-row seats disappear into the floor, converting the van in minutes from leather-lined party barge to cavernous cargo van.

Or opt for Swivel 'n Go, and get the industry-exclusive swiveling second-row seats that spin around to face the rear seats, transforming any family outing into a euchre tournament. Or strip poker if we're not all family. Lower the windows if this is Vegas. An entertainment package with dual DVD players and screens allows children in each row to select their own entertainment—even Xzibit has to be impressed by that—including a limited selection of family-oriented television channels such as Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel beamed through the van's Sirius satellite-radio receiver.

Toyota's Sienna minivan and Highlander crossover are popular family haulers that share many inherently good qualities: sterling reputations, silken powertrains, and fool-proof ergonomics, to name just a few. But for parents with a bounty of kids to schlep to school, hockey practice, and ballet class, the Highlander—with its front-hinged side doors for piling said offspring into and out of the vehicle day in and day out—is a rather poorly matched tool.

Being a minivan, the Sienna offers the convenience of available power-sliding side doors that themselves present innumerable benefits, including a wide aperture to allow multiple bodies to pile into both the second and third rows quickly during torrential downpours and powered operation so that you need to drop neither baby nor basket to open them. Additionally, securing toddlers in child safety seats is much easier done when there is no door in the way. And let's face it, these days, with automobiles growing and parking spots shrinking, sometimes the sliding door is the only way people—even those sitting in the front—can get in or out. Throw in other minivan benefits like the deep well for accommodating the flat-folding third-row seat that will also swallow an extra hockey bag, or the Sienna's clever two-story glove box, and this one's a no-brainer.

Honda's Odyssey minivan and Pilot three-row crossover share the same platform, the same deliciously smooth 3.5-liter V-6 engine, the same slick-shifting five-speed automatic transmission, and the same general level of standard safety systems (three-row curtain airbags, front side airbags, stability control, etc.). The Pilot is even one of the few crossovers to match its minivan sibling's eight-butt capacity. And both vehicles have carried their respective categories in our annual 5Best Trucks competition for three years running.

One thing they don't share is spaciousness. Is it cheating to harp on the same point twice? Not when it's such a good one and so many buyers are ignoring it. The Odyssey and the Pilot both have ample room in the front seats (58 cubic feet in the Odyssey, 62 in the Pilot) for absolutely anyone, including our resident Sasquatch. In the second row, although the Odyssey ekes by with only one more cubic foot of space, it allows passengers over two-and-a-half more inches of legroom than the Pilot. As the kids grow older, that's going to make the difference between holding onto the family hauler for a couple more years and needing— needing—to replace it as soon as adolescence hits. Sure, a sport-utility may look cooler to some, but in this case, looking cool also means looking like a fool.

Third row? Laughable. The Odyssey has nearly as much cargo space behind its third-row seats as the Pilot offers passengers in the back—38 cubes for stuff in the Odyssey versus 39 for people in the Pilot. Meanwhile, third-class passengers in the minivan are treated to 52 cubic feet of luxurious space. No knee eating going on here. For packaging efficiency and intelligence, the Pilot can't match the Odyssey, nor can any crossover touch a minivan.